The Cake Doctor

Dear Cake Doctor

These endless rainstorms have given me a belated case of the winter blues. Please help me put some sunshine back in my life?

Hi Blue

I’m sorry to hear the wind and rain have filled you with gloom. You’re probably feeling a bit run down too, what with the recent drop in temperature and having consistently damp feet. What better way to warm up and get a much-needed vitamin C hit than with a moist and nutty orange cake? This one replaces flour with ground almonds, and contains two whole oranges – skin and all!

Damp and dense Middle Eastern orange cake’s the perfect accompaniment to a hot cup of tea, a strong Turkish coffee or just served with a dollop of natural yoghurt – it’s bursting with zesty orange flavours that will wake up your taste buds and brighten your day. It doesn’t even take much effort to prepare – after a quick blast in the microwave, the oranges are simply blended with the other ingredients, before the mixture’s left in the oven to slowly release its citrusy aroma.

One slice of this and you’ll be dreaming of desert sun and Arabian nights in no time!

Love,

Complaint: in need of sunshine

Prescription: Middle Eastern orange cake (inspired by the blood orange cake in Claudia Roden’s ‘Book of Middle Eastern Food’ and Not Quite Nigella’s adaptation thereof)

Ingredients

2 large oranges, washed

6 eggs, lightly beaten

250g ground almonds

250g caster sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

Method

Add a centimetre or two of water to a medium-sized bowl, then place the oranges, whole, in the bowl, cover with an upturned dinner plate, and microwave on high for 8 minutes.

When the 8 minutes are up, carefully remove the bowl from the microwave (it’s hot!), remove the oranges with tongs or two spoons, and leave on a chopping board to cool a little. Discard the water.

Now, preheat the oven (fan-forced) to 170 degrees Celsius, and line the base and sides of a springform (removable-based) cake tin with baking paper. Try lightly buttering the base and sides of the tin first so the paper sticks.

When the oranges have cooled a little, cut them up, skin and all, into smallish pieces. If you haven’t had time to let the oranges cool sufficiently, use a knife and fork. Try to locate and discard the pips.

Then, place the chopped oranges into a large bowl, or the bowl of a food processor, and add the lightly beaten eggs, ground almonds, caster sugar and baking powder.

Blitz with a handheld blender or turn on the food processor and blend until the mixture is almost smooth. Do leave some chunks of orange peel though – these enhance the texture of the end product!

Now, pour the mix into the prepared tin and place in the oven for 50 minutes.

Your cake is ready when a gentle push of the tin doesn’t produce a wobble. If you’re not sure, insert a metal skewer – if it comes out clean, pull the cake out of the oven. If the skewer’s coated in a thin layer of cake mix, leave the cake in the oven for 5 minutes more and then re-apply the wobble test.

Cool the cake in the tin before gently removing the sides and base. Then, enjoy the sunshine this wholesome cake immediately brings into your day and glow with vitamin C! Your zest for life will be back in no time.

Love,

The Cake Doctor x